September 22, 1991 | JUDITH MICHAELSON, Judith Michaelson is a Times staff writer

In the opening scene of "Teech," a comedy series that debuted on CBS on Wednesday, a music teacher reports for an expected job at a preppy, all-white boys' school. But because he is black, the headmaster's secretary assumes he is a workman and tells him to go "around to the back, use the service entrance, don't walk on the grass, pick the fruit, talk to the students or eat lunch in plain view of anyone." His response: "Can I plant watermelon seeds on the back forty?"

"I'll Fly Away," the acclaimed drama canceled by NBC this year, will move to PBS in the fall with an original movie wrapping up the story, followed by a rerun of the entire series, the non-commercial network confirmed Tuesday. The series, which was yanked by NBC despite viewer protests and 15 Emmy nominations last year, stars Sam Waterston as a white Southern lawyer and Regina Taylor as his black housekeeper during the emergence of the nation's civil rights movement beginning in the 1950s.

June 16, 1991 | RICK DU BROW, Rick Du Brow is The Times' television writer. and

The series is called "Homefront," and it will deal with triumphant GIs returning from World War II when it becomes part of ABC's prime-time lineup this fall. In the pilot episode designed to sell the show to ABC, the opening sequence begins with an American flag filling the screen. We see a newspaper headline that says: "War Ends." A woman narrator tells us, "In the autumn of 1945, America was invincible. . . . The counter tops at the soda fountain were still made of marble. Sodas cost a nickel.

The news was buried deep in an NBC list of midseason program changes released Monday. A one-sentence announcement said that "I'll Fly Away," one of television's most-honored dramas, would disappear after its Feb. 5 show but remain a "contender" for next fall's lineup. No promises that it definitely would return in the fall--despite its 15 Emmy nominations last year, its Peabody Award and its Directors Guild Award among numerous other prizes. Just a contender.

Writers from three "I'll Fly Away" episodes are in the running for cash awards in the 18th annual Humanitas Prizes, which reward the writers of TV programs judged to "most fully enrich the viewing audience." The first-year NBC drama captured two nominations in the category for 60-minute programs, which carries a $15,000 prize, and another in the category for programs 90 minutes or longer, which carries a $25,000 prize.

"I'll Fly Away," the acclaimed drama canceled by NBC this year, will move to PBS in the fall with an original movie wrapping up the story, followed by a rerun of the entire series, the non-commercial network confirmed Tuesday. The series, which was yanked by NBC despite viewer protests and 15 Emmy nominations last year, stars Sam Waterston as a white Southern lawyer and Regina Taylor as his black housekeeper during the emergence of the nation's civil rights movement beginning in the 1950s.

During one three-month block recently, TV writer-producers Joshua Brand and John Falsey had virtually every day booked, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with meetings on the half hour. No breaks, just continuous meetings. During another monthlong stretch this summer, the two partners didn't see each other once or even speak on the phone because they were so busy.

The news was buried deep in an NBC list of midseason program changes released Monday. A one-sentence announcement said that "I'll Fly Away," one of television's most-honored dramas, would disappear after its Feb. 5 show but remain a "contender" for next fall's lineup. No promises that it definitely would return in the fall--despite its 15 Emmy nominations last year, its Peabody Award and its Directors Guild Award among numerous other prizes. Just a contender.

During one three-month block recently, TV writer-producers Joshua Brand and John Falsey had virtually every day booked, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with meetings on the half hour. No breaks, just continuous meetings. During another monthlong stretch this summer, the two partners didn't see each other once or even speak on the phone because they were so busy.

Writers from three "I'll Fly Away" episodes are in the running for cash awards in the 18th annual Humanitas Prizes, which reward the writers of TV programs judged to "most fully enrich the viewing audience." The first-year NBC drama captured two nominations in the category for 60-minute programs, which carries a $15,000 prize, and another in the category for programs 90 minutes or longer, which carries a $25,000 prize.

September 22, 1991 | JUDITH MICHAELSON, Judith Michaelson is a Times staff writer

In the opening scene of "Teech," a comedy series that debuted on CBS on Wednesday, a music teacher reports for an expected job at a preppy, all-white boys' school. But because he is black, the headmaster's secretary assumes he is a workman and tells him to go "around to the back, use the service entrance, don't walk on the grass, pick the fruit, talk to the students or eat lunch in plain view of anyone." His response: "Can I plant watermelon seeds on the back forty?"

June 16, 1991 | RICK DU BROW, Rick Du Brow is The Times' television writer. and

The series is called "Homefront," and it will deal with triumphant GIs returning from World War II when it becomes part of ABC's prime-time lineup this fall. In the pilot episode designed to sell the show to ABC, the opening sequence begins with an American flag filling the screen. We see a newspaper headline that says: "War Ends." A woman narrator tells us, "In the autumn of 1945, America was invincible. . . . The counter tops at the soda fountain were still made of marble. Sodas cost a nickel.